Test platforms or other automated test equipment (ATE), provide for individual testing of semiconductor devices during production. Depending on the equipment, test platforms can include two main components, a test head and a peripheral. At the interface between the test head and the peripheral lies a device interface board, or DIB. A manipulator physically positions the test head in alignment with the peripheral and causes the test head and peripheral to mechanically dock.
Test platforms generally convey electrical signals between the test head and the DIB using blind-mate connectors. A blind-mate connector typically includes a connection arrangement in which two parts of a connector can be mated by virtue of their positioning and alignment. Blind-mate connectors are often used in modular electronic systems, in areas that are enclosed or inaccessible. Coarse alignment mechanisms, such as tabs, have been used for aligning the DIB with the test head.
However, due to increasing pin densities and pin numbers, manufacturers are increasingly designing test heads with smaller and more closely spaced connectors. As a result, the coarse alignment mechanisms can not adequately provide desired alignments of the connectors. As such, a need exists for a device to compensate for misalignments, such that closely spaced connectors or pins can make accurate and repeated connections.